Mario And The Road To Darkness
by Nahkriin
Summary: More than just the mushroom kingdom is at stake, this time around...as Mario and his friends are cast into a rising conflict between life and death, will they find the strength to prevail against an ancient, inhuman threat?
1. Prelude

All right, so…yeah, I've never attempted to do a Mario fic before. It's just…hm. Difficult, I guess? Ha, I dunno. But enough of that! Let us go on to the fic…yes…hopefully, it will be good, though I can almost assuredly say that many characters here will be OOC, simply…because. Onwards!

**Disclaimer: ** Yeah, I don't own Mario, and I see that as a good thing considering the things I would most likely subject the series to go through. Erm…Yeah, so I got some of my own characters in here, but the main players ain't mine…I's a swagga jacka, lol.

…Hmmm….well. Read. Plz. :D

**The following fan fiction has been rated T, due to possible scenarios including violence and/or some mildly adult content.**

**PRELUDE**

_Dark Foreshadowing_

In the impenetrable darkness that shrouded this particular room in this particular place, shady intent and sinister thoughts seemed to manifest themselves to the extent that the presence of these two combined elements would prove overwhelming to just about anyone who entered the domain.

This darkness, too, was in such a way unbearable. This is because it, like many things in this particular place, was a dark not natural, but darkness warped, molded from the shadows into something even more than the abstract of day. And how, you may ask, is this so? In this realm, the natural array of things that prevailed above need not apply. When a force of malice this large gathers in any area born of natural means, the transition alone is enough to alter the nature of the place…but in this case, the evil currently biding it's time, waiting for something, had been here long enough that it could bend the fabric of existence around it, bring it to be anything he desired.

It is passed down in mushroom kingdom lore that, at the time of creation of this world, that individual deities, entities of divine influence that held sway over certain aspects of life, death, and the states of in-between, after, and whatever else there may be, came down from the heavens…or wherever it was such forces hailed…to shape the world themselves.

Of course, creation is but an unbalanced equation of celestial proportions without it's antithesis, the abstract of creation…called many things. Not merely death, but the obliteration of not only life, but that which existed in-between and out of. Simply put…everything. The divine bringer of this anticreation, it which was responsible for bringing life and death into balance, was a demonical thing known as Alterus.

Of course, such is only legend. But in this particular place, beneath the precipice that divides the lives and afterlives of normal people, lies such a compelling presence of evil that it's enough to conclude…some legends aren't merely bed time stories.

Of course, this is all incompetent babbling, to most. Most people don't understand, don't want to understand, or simply ignore it and go on with life. But you can't deny that something out there exists for the sole means of bringing that which is created to an end.

An example of this is what happens when you stand on a great ledge looking downwards. If you jump, certainly, you will die. So why is it that, however small, some strange part of us tells us to jump?

Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe you think, "Man, that would suck to fall. I better be careful." Or "Wow, long drop." Or something along those lines. But somewhere deep inside us all, that influence remains.

And it has slept for thousands of years. The demon lies beneath our world, waiting…and there are those who are willing to risk awakening such a thing only to bring things to an end. Some see it as a final solution, most simply chase after these legends in the pursuit of what they want.

And, as always, when there are those who seek an ideal, there are those who will oppose that ideal.

Such is the case in the tale I am about to tell you…


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

Ha, yeah, so re-reading the prologue, I was just thinking…how very un-mario sounding. Yeah, I can get very out of hand with a series, but I don't plan on veering Mario and the gang to far off course here. Hopefully…please review, if you like the story. Thankee.

Disclaimer

Nope, I don't own Mario, and most probably never, ever will, so I really don't see the point in explaining this any further as this is probably already something you have been made aware of or are under the general impression of…and in that case, you are correct. So…without further ado, chapter one. Enjoi!

**CHAPTER ONE**

_And so we begin…_

It was a lovely day in the mushroom kingdom…well, in most areas. And of course, I'm talking about the whether. Seems rather obvious, but I would like to point out that not everyone feels as though it's a lovely day and for a wide variety of reasons.

For example, Bowser was not having a lovely day. Recently, he had found himself in a creative stump as to what he could pull off next that he hasn't already done. In the past, when faced with this problem, he simply did the same thing, again, though wrapped it together differently, while the core intent remained the same.

The mighty lord sighed, and that sigh stayed floating in the air for a moment, drifting around in the empty throne room and eventually came back to him, as if it were a dog that wasn't sure where exactly to head off to after it's owner had just thrown a ball. Also, I would like to point out at this moment I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing other than stretching the simple concept of a sigh echoing into this rather pointless, needless description.

Bowser sighed again a moment or two later, his mind void of his usual thoughts, which, most of the time, consisted of thrasing his cursed plumber nemesis, Mario, and kidnapping Princess Peach…well, vice versa. Well, it didn't really matter a great deal to him, though he tended to savor the idea of him defeating Mario AFTER he had ventured far and wide to rescue the princess a bit more. That one he liked.

He tapped his claws against the cold throne seat, eventually decided to get some help with the problem, and clicked a red button on his right hand side. A few minutes later, the doors to the throne room opened and in came Kammy Koopa, floating on that old broomstick and referring to Bowser in her usual manner.

"You sent for me, your disgustingness?" She stated simply. Bowser took a moment and wondered why it had never dawned on him that all his servants seemed to state the obvious. Another split-second later, he came to the conclusion that he didn't really care and shouldn't waste time thinking about it at all.

"Yes, kammy, old hag…I…don't really know what to do about this anymore. What should I do?"

Kammy remained quiet, thinking. A moment later, she responded with her ever-so-helpful advice: "What?"

Bowser grew angry. In the time in which kammy had been thinking silently it had occurred to him that he had not exactly stated what his problem or real question was, but a moment later he had thought, well, if kammy was taking this long thinking about it she must already know what my question was, and she had better supply me with a good answer.

"FOOL!" Bowser roared, a hint of glowing embers appearing within his mouth, never a good sign. "Must I explain EVERY little detail to you?! Incompetent witch…I asked…What should I do this time around? I mean, it's all to cliché now…kidnap princess, yada yada, get thwumped by that bloated, miniscule little oddly-dressed plumber, yada yada, et cetera. I mean, I need a little…zazz, y'know?"

Kammy remained quiet. She began to think…then remembered bowser didn't seem to like that idea very much, and decided to speak instead.

"Well…" She realized it had been a mistake not to think in the first place, as her mind was dry, blank. No creative thinking up there. "Uh…"

Luckily, and by the type of precise timing only ever seen in video games that would only exist in very, very improbable situations outside the virtual world, kammy koopa was contacted by one of her scouts at that moment. It seemed that he had found something interesting, and requested Kammy bring this to Lord Bowser's attention as soon as possible. She obliged, and gladly.

"Excuse me, your clawed-feistiness, but it would seem as though we may have something now…"

Bowser grunted. This had BETTER be good…

"Well? What is it?"

"Somewhere beneath our very own mushroom kingdom, it would appear as though some new, unknown ruins have been found. Now, we don't know anything about these particular ruins, other than some odd writing in a wall…translated from an ancient language…that simply reads "Ye who enter in search of power from the depths of the shadow, may ye find your strength here". We don't know what it means, but doesn't that sound promising, Lord Bowser?"

Bowser adopted a look of thoughtfulness. Yes…indeed, it would seem as though a new power awaited him, just in time, too…with this, maybe he could finally end that wretched Mario…something about this just made him feel confident. He smirked, a very evil, twisted smirk.

"Kammy…thank you for bringing this to my attention. We will research this further…congratulate your scout for me, will ya?"

Kammy nodded, and turned on the transmitter in her ear to relay a message conveying the Lord's personal gratitude towards the koopa who had alerted them to this potentially rewarding new development, only to find that, when trying to contact the scout, she received nothing but static.

"Hmmm…most be technical difficulties, Lord Bowser."

"Ah. No worries, we'll thank him later. Now…let's get to business." The dark lord of the koopa growled wickedly, a fire burning with vengeance alight in his eyes.

Outside of the peaceful little abode in which Mario and Luigi lived, the sun shone down brightly and the birds chirped happily. A typical day in the mushroom kingdom. If it wasn't for the regularly disturbing events that happened to befall the kingdom often, most of them involving the kidnap of princess peach, it would be an ideal world, in most respects.

Mario yawned, stretched, and sat up in his top bunk bed for a moment. He could still hear Luigi snoring beneath him…he smiled groggily. He was about to lay back down for a few more minutes when the familiar sound of "MAIL CALL!" sounded into the house. Mario made his way down the bunk bed, rousing Luigi, who awoke slowly and with a yawn much more encompassing than his elder brother's.

The red-capped, overall-wearing older brother made his way outside to the porch, made his way to the mailbox, reached in and pulled out the letter. Who was it?

One look at the handwriting and his question was answered. Peach. He could recognize her handwriting a mile away, if indeed he could somehow see any form of writing a mile away. A part of him held a sense of foreboding…on more than one occasion, it was when peach sent him a letter that terrible events befell the otherwise peaceful place. He sighed, decided not to think about it, and slowly opened the letter.

_To my dearest Mario – _

_I'm holding yet another party at my castle and was wondering if, by chance, you and luigi would be able to drop by? I would be delighted! It's simply a meeting of foreign nationals and all that…you know, details…but if you could drop by sometime this afternoon, it would warm my day! Most of the people who show up for these things are all business, and I would otherwise be bored to tears. So what do you say? PLEASE come. I will await your arrival._

_Peach_

Mario chuckled a bit. He knew that she already knew that she had an iron-clad grip on Mario…if she told him to do something, he did it, no matter what…most of the times.

At this point, Luigi had managed to drag himself out to the porch. Upon seeing the shining sun and hearing the chirping birds and finding himself staring at Mario staring at a letter, he was, if not fully, awake.

"What do you have there, bro?" He asked, though he felt a moment later that it had been unnecessary. He knew already, it was peach, again. He smiled faintly.

He showed his younger, green-clad brother the letter. Luigi read it over, and chuckled similarly to the manner in which Mario had chuckled but a few minutes prior. Peach sure did have Mario whipped…of course, luigi would go, if only to mingle. He sometimes enjoyed talking of politics and affairs in foreign kingdoms. Ever since his expedition to the waffle kingdom and his adventures there, his eyes had been opened to a larger world and liked to talk about places other than home. He was certainly a MUCH more talkative person than his brother.

"Sounds cool to me, bro, when should we head out?"

Mario shrugged, not bothering to say anything. Luigi sometimes wished he would talk more…though he could still demonstrate what he was thinking non-verbally, as he always had.

Luigi translated this as "well, you know, we're not doing anything of importance at the moment, so why don't we grab a bite to eat and then head out, little bro?"

"Sounds good to me." Luigi said, and the two went inside and luigi began to cook a meal for the two of them…well, just waffles, really, but hey.

Little did the two siblings know…but something was afoot in the kingdom, something…different. Soon, they would both be cast into this perilous trek, together…and at the end of this quest, would they ever be the same?


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

Okay, I meant to upload more yesterday, but didn't get around to doing so…hopefully, I'll have two more chapters up today. But anyways, I was wondering if mebbe I could get a review or two? That would lighten up my day. Thanks!

P.S: I can't seperate stuff, for some reason...like, after bowser's segment, it'll move right into Mario's segment, and it looks to stuffed together to me. I don't really know how to explain it...so it looks stuffy, but as I can't fix it, you'll have to read it like that. Sorry.

Disclaimer

Once again…I don't own Mario. Well, now that we've got that matter cleared up, on with the story!

**CHAPTER TWO**

_The dark embrace and the gathering of those who seek it…_

It was dark. It was dark, and it was cold, and the air seemed to reek with the stench of some abominable sense of evil influence and dark doings…suffice to say, Lord Bowser was very fond of the place already.

Kammy seemed to have felt it, as well, along with the koopa squadron they had brought to the site to help investigate, and shuddered. Such a strong foreboding presence seemed to linger in this place…she prided herself in being, as far as she was concerned, evil…well, maybe not exactly evil, but villainous, nonetheless, but even she found it hard to cope with the malice felt in the air. Without a doubt, there was something here. Without a doubt, this was…different than anything she had encountered in the past.

"This place…ROCKS!" Lord Bowser shouted, which was returned with a slight rumbling of the ground. He took a moment to mentally register that these ruins were, well, old, and that he had best not shout further lest the whole place collapse. After all, if he lost whatever it was that was in here that he was so suddenly compelled to find before even searching as a result of his own actions, he would be very upset and probably blame Kammy.

Kammy also thought of this, but decided with good judgment not to speak of it in fear of her lord's wrath.

Bowser took a moment to scan the room they were currently in visually, noticing a crack in the wall to the left. Above it, strange symbols were embedded in the wall, glowing an eerie light, as if aware of the presence of others and…perhaps warning…or maybe greeting them.

"Ah." Kammy softly spoke, floating over to the words. Yes…this must be the message the scout had translated.

Though she hadn't remembered any mention of a crack in the wall, and grew momentarily concerned.

"Break it down, boys!" Roared bowser before kammy could voice her opinion. She moved out of the way just as the koopa squad rammed the wall head on. The combined weight of the six-man team was enough. A small hole was birthed underneath the glowing letters, which suddenly seemed to have turned bright red, and appeared to be flashing more brightly than before. Kammy was the only one to notice any of this.

"My lord…" She began, only to be caught off by bowser quickly.

"Ha ha, success! C'mon kammy, let's check it out…" He chuckled gleefully (in an evil type of way) and bent down to fit through the crevice that had been made. After a momentary struggle of fitting himself through the whole, Kammy sighed and floated behind him, though she could not help but feel they had made a mistake…

"Mario! Luigi!" Princess Peach joyously proclaimed as the two brothers entered through the castle doors, a wide smile stretched across her face. Mario tipped his hat as she ran over to them, and Luigi smiled.

"I'm so glad you were able to come!" Luigi grinned and looked at Mario. As if he would ever deny the precious princess anything her little heart desired.

Mario nodded, as non-verbal as ever. It struck Luigi as slightly odd that Mario was able to communicate so well with such simple, universal gestures. He shrugged it off.

"Luigi, m'boy!" A voice sounded from somewhere across the wide entrance room of the castle, and luigi immediately recognized the voice. It was the voice of someone he had met while on his trek to save princess éclair of the waffle kingdom. An old goomba named Goombada. He had helped point luigi in the direction he needed to go more than once, and luigi was happy to hear his voice again. He walked over to the old goomba, smiling.

"What are you doing here, 'Bada?" Luigi asked, still smiling, as he approached him. Goombada smiled, the type of smile only an old, wise goomba could ever smile, the type that showed experience and wisdom.

"Well, Luigi my friend, it would seem as though after helping you out on your adventure, the waffle kingdom recognized me as a man…er, goomba…who knew what's what and decided to take me in and give me the honor of working in waffle kingdom state affairs! I'm official now, y'see." He said, grinning.

"That's great!" Luigi smiled, happy to hear the good news. He looked over his shoulder briefly to check on Mario and Peach, only to discover they had seemed to have disappeared. He chuckled…now why did he expect something like that to happen?

"Mario, I just wanted to…" Peach began, staring out into the blue, cheerful sky in front of her. She smiled. When luigi had left to converse with an old acquaintance, the two had snuck out to the balcony. Peach had just wanted to get away from all the chatter.

"I just wanted to thank you yet again for all you've done for this kingdom. I know you're told this by a lot of people, but I just want to remind you of how appreciated you are. Thank you." She bent down and kissed Mario on the nose, which caused him to blush a little and smile. Peach giggled.

"Such a peaceful day…" Peach said, and felt a genuine state of peace within her and throughout the kingdom. While in the past this would be precisely the moment in which something bad would happen, she couldn't help but feel safe at the moment…like everything would be all right. Or maybe it was just Mario…she smiled.

"Let's just enjoy this, shall we?" Peach asked with a voice as soft and smooth as silk, and Mario smiled. The two stared out into the sky, glad to be in each other's company.

Elsewhere, in a dark room in an unknown place, something stirred in the dark of endless night and shadows seemed to spread…


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

So, here's chapter three. I just finished chapter two, but I think I do better if I go on a roll, though I did just wake up an hour or so ago, so I'm not in the best mood for writing…but what the hey, here goes.

Disclaimer

Do I have to put this every time? Just wondering. Don't own Mario,

**CHAPTER THREE**

_As the stars weep_

A young toad was gazing up into the night sky, a sense of wonder washing over him, the type of wonder only a child can experience.

The stars…there were so many, and they all seemed to be magical, they all seemed to present something only found in fairy tales. The young toad's father came outside to tell him that it was time he went to sleep, but found himself, as well, gazing up at the dancing lights in the night sky.

"Dad?" The little toad boy asked after a moment, still staring up at the sky, wonder filling his face fully. The father took a moment to unglue his eyes from the stars above and look down at his son, silent for a moment.

"Yes?"

"Where do the stars come from?"

The father smiled. "Well, a lot of people say a lot of different things about the stars. Some say they come from an age where everything was good to watch over us and protect us from everything that's bad, and some say they're people, people that have passed on and, unwilling to go unforgotten, shine brightly in the night sky, like angels. I think…" The father paused.

"Well, I think that stars are none of those things."

The boy looked up at his father curiously, wondering what he thought of them, then. "What is it you think they are, then, daddy?"

"Well," The father began, smiling faintly. "I believe that the stars shine because they simply want us to stare. They want us to realize that life is more than we make of it most of the time, something to cherish, and it provides us with the moments where that revelation makes itself clear." The father answered the son in a soft voice. After that, the two remained silent, simply gazing into the night sky, together, father and son.

- - - - -

A few hours had gone by now, and as the day tittered away into night, Peach and Mario remained rooted to the spot, as they had hours before, staring into the night.

Luigi had come looking for them a moment later, worried that something might have happened while he caught up with the folks from the waffle kingdom. However, open quietly entering the room that led further down to the balcony, he saw the two were fine, more than fine, in fact, and smiled and left. He didn't want to disturb this. He felt something special in the air this night.

"Mario?" Peach asked softly, the first word spoken in a long time. Mario continued to gaze at the stars, silent, but peach knew that he was listening to her every word. She smiled softly and continued.

"I think the stars are telling us that life is precious. Cherish it." She said in a voice softer than before, and turned to gaze into Mario's eyes. He gazed back.

"I've cherished the last few hours so much…" She began, and before she could continue, she found herself trapped in a kiss with Mario.

Outside, the stars blinked happily.

- - - - -

In the center of the room, a pedestal was raised, the only source of light in the darkness shrouding the ancient place. The rustling of cloaks was heard around the object, which meant people were there, however unseen.

One stepped out of the blanket of dark and into the celestial light that surrounded the pedestal. The figure was clad in a cloak as dark as midnight, everything completely shrouded in the dark. From out of an unseen pocket in his cloak, he removed an orb of some sort, a translucent orb that seemed to be possessed of twisted power, as dark colors swirled endlessly within it, and the figure seemed to handle it with caution, as if it was a living, breathing, thing…and perhaps it was, it was hard to tell. But they all seemed to treat it as such…

The figure silently approached the pedestal, glowing with that eerie light, and put the orb in the pedestal…

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I'm sorry for the delay, people, but I fell sick thursday (what a coincidence...the day we got back from christmas break...heh heh heh...) and have been lounging about playing mario games and reading some mario fics for the last couple days. Yeah...but anyways, I'm going to try and update tommorow, saturday. Just to let y'all know I ain't dead. :P

_-Teh Author_


	6. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**

I'm sorry for not updating yesterday, like I said I would...so today, I plan on updating...let's see...howzabout I give you three more chapters? Ha, maybe. If not, two. I hope. Meh, we'll see. Ha, I'm not that reliable. But I'll try, lol.

Also, starting from this point on, I'm going to try and make all my chapters longer. I didn't realize they weren't as long as I thought until I looked them over again...I guess they just feel twice as long writing than them reading them. So...yeah.

Disclaimer

We all know I don't own Mario...thank Shigeru Miyamoto.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_Ascending Shadow_

The cloaked figures stared in silence, waiting...the orb remained unearthly still upon the pedestal for a moment, a feeling of slight suspense washing over the room. No one stirred, no one seemed to dare to breathe, even...such was the magnitude of this moment.

The silence in presiding was abruptly cut off as the pedestal seemed to burst into flame.

No, not flames, it seemed...yet it resembled fire, seemed to burn like it, but was different. It seemed to be a flame composed of dark itself, as it burned a dark shade of deep purple. And it did not crackle, like most flames would, but rather hummed, low and ominously. The cloaked group still stared, no longer in silent suspense, but in silent awe of the flames.

The same cloaked figure whom had stepped up to place the orb in the pedestal moved towards the flame in slow, deliberate steps, cautious as he was before. He reached out to the otherworldly flame, but stepped back when it hummed deeper and seemed to grow. The room grew cold...this fire seemed to be the abstract of normal fire, as it deeply contrasted the fire we are used to in many elements, such as this...it seemed to lower the temperature around it instead of heating it.

A rumbling shook the ground for a moment, a deep vibration that seemed to reverberate from the core of the earth, sending chills up the collective gathering's spines.

And then, after a moment of utter silence, a dark, bone-chilling voice spoke. It's voice was disturbing, as it seemed to speak in a multitude of ancient languages, but still it spoke in understandable english, yet seemed to speak in more than one voice. It was hard to describe.

"_And who among you has called to the Alta Core, the spiritual avatar of creation's despair?"_

The cloaked figure that had made to touch the flame remained silent for a moment. He reached up and lowered his hood...indeed, he was human enough, or so it appeared as such.

He had long, rather rough black hair, and a young face...no more than early twenty's, one could guess. But his eyes set him off, for they were a dark crimson color, and seemed to shelter within them demonic energy.

"I, Ozarus, have, my Lord." He spoke in a voice that betrayed nothing of fear, if he was feeling any sort of fear. One would think that if a voice such as this seemed to speak to you from out of nowhere, and particularly in this setting, you might be a teensy bit afraid. But this man...or whatever...didn't seem to be.

The inhuman voice seemed to ponder something for a moment, evident by a "hmmm" that shook the ground slightly.

"_And who are you to call to me, mortal?"_

"One who seeks the power to end this life." He solemnly replied. The voice chuckled.

"_Ahhh...and why is this your desire, human?" _The unseen voice questioned.

"_You realize this would mean YOUR end, as well..." _

"I understand fully the consequences of harnessing your power, even to a small degree. To destroy everything...I seek to cleanse the universe, give it a chance at redemption. Through Armageddon may life be reborn, fresh, new." Ozarus answered, staring off into the dark space before him from whence the voice seemed to be coming from.

The voice remained silent again for a moment before speaking up.

"_Yes...MY world." _It seemed to be in thought.

"So...use my mortal shell as a vessel, mi'lord?" Ozarus began, pausing. "Of course, only until you have regained enough strength to carry on in your own form."

"_I see you are knowledgeable...few of the fools alive today know of my continued existence, and even fewer still know of my restrictions in this state. And even smaller are those who know how to call to me, as you have...who are you, exactly?"_

Ozarus smiled, very faintly. "I have told you my name, what more can I provide you with, great one?"

The voice chuckled. _"I see...so you remain a mystery, yes? No matter. You have proven yourself worthy in my eyes, and we do indeed share opinions...all those ages ago when I was first imprisoned, I was nothing. No power...yet it grew, even under these restraints, even with my scattered existence. Though it's only a small portion of my former power, I have regained quite a bit. By mortal means, a substantial amount of strength. Yes, you will be my human avatar...we will travel in search of my remnants and, one glorious day, I will return to this world in all my glory. Yes...soon."_

The cloaked figures behind Ozarus remained still as statues, listening with intense concentration. Ozarus nodded.

"Yes..." He was aware, however, that before he could be used as a proper vessel, they had to fulfill the requirements.

"_I assume you are aware, though, that before I can possess you, we will need a few things..."_

"Yes, Lord. The eye of creation comes first, I should think..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bowser smirked viciously. Kammy simply stared in awe, and the rest of the squad decided to mimic them.

After making a new entrance to further explore the ruins, the team had entered into a room that didn't look like it belonged in any type of ruins whatsoever.

The room was what one would expect to find in a castle of royal standards, sparkling with gold on the ceiling, crimson carpeting, and...the rest of the room was littered with tons of ancient, evil-looking relics.

"We have hit the JACKPOT." Bowser said with an air of triumph, pacing around the room, taking it all in.

"I have NO CLUE what any of this is, but MAN, does it look good! KAMMY! Any world/plumber/princess-conquering tools here?!"

The old, female magikoopa shrugged. "I'm not sure, Lord Bowser, but I'll put my team on it right away."

Bowser grinned deviously. "Good, good...and no one to interfere this time, either! Ha ha ha...YES!"

At precisely that moment, a cloaked figure appeared in the room, and seemed as out of place as a fork in a spoon convention. He simply stared at the others. One thing that set them apart was that he was human.

"Who do you think you are, chump?!" Bowser snarled, though the cloaked man had simply brushed past Bowser mid sentence, leaving a rather confused/angry/flustered looking dark lord behind.

"HEY! I was talking to you!"

The man remained silent and seemingly oblivious to the others, walked up to one of the ancient relics, dusted it off, and held it in his hand for a moment, observing it.

"Bub, what are you doing?! These relics are mine, you hear?!"

The cloaked man turned around, finally paying a slight degree of attention to the fuming koopa lord. He smiled politely, as though, rather than just bursting in without introduction and taking a relic from an ancient room that didn't belong to him in front of others who wanted to do the same and had been subsequently asked who he was and what he was doing there in a rather angry manner , he had been asked about the weather politely.

"Lord Bowser, I presume?" The man chuckled, and this only made Bowser angrier.

"Something funny?" He asked in his most intimidating voice. The cloaked man responded to this by walking up to the large koopa and patting him on the arm.

"Well, see ya kiddos." He stood still for a moment before the open-mouthed bowser, smiled, and dissipated into thin air.

Awkward silence floated about in the air.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mario returned around midnight, grinning ear to ear. Luigi pretended to be asleep, though was watching his older brother with amusement out of the corner of his eye. He smiled. Mario hadn't stopped grinning since he got home.

Something must have happened...had something FINALLY happened between peach and his brother?

_'Bout time... _He thought, before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

However, soon enough he found himself in a rather peculiar place...

_Am I dreaming? _He thought, looking down to find himself suspended in midair above a swirling, dark vortex that seemed to be sucking everything and anything except for him down into it's depths. He blinked. He had to be. But he could feel the chill in the air, feel the sense of light-headedness one experienced when released from gravity's pull, much more strongly than if he had been dreaming. And it just...felt real, a little too real.

Scenes from his life played before his eyes...he watched in confusion. This is what happened when you died, right? But he wasn't dying, dead, nor departed, was he?

"Hello, Luigi."

His heart jumped.

"Who..." He began, looking around. He turned around, and his heart lept yet again as he found himself staring at a cloaked man, his face shrouded beneath his hood.

"Don't be scared." The cloaked one spoke, and his words seemed to have a calming effect on Luigi. He nodded, rather absentmindedly.

"Listen...history is being shaped here. This is what this place is, not a dream, though it could be, yet not a part of our existence. I know you don't follow, but don't worry about it, okay?"

Luigi looked down at the swirling vortex and nodded.

"Good. Soon, you will have to make a choice...and I can't tell you the consequences of what you decide, but I can tell you this...part of something very large now rests on your shoulders. Metaphorically speaking, of course."

Luigi was confused, though he wasn't really in a mood to ask questions or argue, at the moment. So, he nodded.

"Alright...and keep an eye out." The cloaked man dissapeared, as well as the vortex, leaving only white.

In the center of the white, a dark orb spun, and a distorted light flooded out of the sphere, an inhuman laugh echoing...

Luigi awoke in cold sweat. Mario was snoring above him.

He remained in bed for a few minutes, panting, the sweat running down his brow. He didn't have the will to think, at the moment, so simply stared at whatever there was for him to stare at.

However, in this absent state of mind he was in, this type of daze...he kept hearing the cloaked man's voice.

He blinked.

Mario fell out of the top bunk bed and on to the floor with a loud THUMP.

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And that concludes this chapter! I tried to make it a bit longer...and the story seems to have been a little dull to me thus far, so I'm going to try and spice it up a little next chapter...somehow...

Anyways! Please review? I know people are reading this story because, if they weren't, I wouldn't have near 200 or so hits for it, so please? C'mon. Do it. No one's watching. :D


	7. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**

Well, here it is, just like I said, chapter 5. v00t! I managed to get two chapters in today, just like I said. Who knows? I might actually be able to upload chapter 6 tonight…mwa ha heh, maybe. Anyways.

Disclaimer

I do not own anything of the Mario Empire. And that's that, folks.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_Choose, Hero_

The two brothers silently ate breakfast, Luigi keeping anything he had to say about the ridiculously large bump on Mario's head to himself. Of course, Mario was grouchy…he wasn't exactly a morning person, and having dark forces possess you and hurl you violently out of bed didn't help matters much for our heroic red plumber. He refused to believe he had rolled out of bed on his own…he had told Luigi that it was Bowser's fault.

Luigi finished his meal, wiped his chin, and cleaned his plate, Mario finishing a moment after.

"Bro, I had a really odd dream last night…" Luigi began, deciding it would be best to share his disturbing encounter with the cloaked man than to keep it to himself. He would explode if he kept it all inside…

Mario looked at him curiously, silently urging him to continue. Luigi went over to the sink and put the dishes in.

"Well, it felt really…uh, real, for that matter…" He continued, as he began scrubbing the spaghetti-stained dishes with soap.

"I found myself in a strange, dark place…and I was floating in the air. There was a swirling vortex-like thingy underneath me, sucking everything in but me. It was pretty weird, I'll tell ya." He paused, trying to remember what exactly happened after that.

"Oh yeah…and some weird guy in a cloak was there, and he talked to me. I couldn't see his face, or, for that matter, any part of his body, really…but he was human, from what I gathered. He had a relatively young voice, too. He told me something about…" Luigi stopped scrubbing for a moment. What exactly had he said, again?

"…Something about "choices" and…uh…that I would have to make an important one soon, or something. Mmm…yeah." Luigi concluded.

Mario gave him a puzzled look, one that seemed to say "'Weegie, you need to lay off the mushrooms." Luigi laughed.

"What, what? It was just a dream, bro…just a dream."

He looked out the window, up into the sky.

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"RGGGH!!!" Bowser stomped about the room, rattling some of the delicate relics in his tantrum. Kammy motioned for him to stop, and Bowser, while still angry, decided that would be best, as well. He stood, fuming.

"How dare he?! Does he know who I am?! The fool!!!" Bowser spat, still seething about the encounter with the cloaked man.

"Well, he seemed to know who you were, your bowser-essness…" Kammy offered, but Bowser only roared.

"I'll teach him to steal things that I was going to steal! Man!!! He really pushed my buttons! Stupid, ignorant little…"

Bowser's tirade continued for a few minutes or so, before he seemed to finally cool down…slightly. One of the koopas stepped up.

"What is it?" Bowser inquired, slightly irritated.

"Well, lord, it seems one of our men has stumbled across something…odd." He reported, and Bowser grunted to indicate he continue.

"In the back…another room. He tripped, fell near the wall, and seems to have triggered something…suffice to say, a new door has opened."

Bowser was curious, his mind set off his annoyance for the time being.

"Gra ha ha! EXCELLENT! Let's check it out, Kammy!" The koopa magician nodded and followed the dark lord to the back of the room, where indeed, a new door had been opened. It had been painted over to blend in with the wall, and could only be opened by some sort of miniscule button kept underneath one of the tiles below it. Indeed, there had to be something in here that someone didn't want people to find.

Upon entering the room, Bowser's mood soured slightly. It was empty. Nothing was here.

"What?! What's the use of having a hidden room if you're not gonna hide anything in it?!" He stormed, jumping up and down. Kammy was about to politely request he stop again, when something was heard shifting somewhere in the room.

"What was that?" Kammy asked, looking around. Bowser sniffed the air, curiosity roused.

"Well, whatever it was, something definitely changed."

One of the koopa squad returned from outside of the room, and stood, silent. Kammy rose her eyebrows.

"What is it? Anything change out there?"

"Yup. It's pretty remarkable…" The squad member replied, and continued to stand.

"Well…are you going to show it to us?" Bowser asked in a tone of irritated politeness. The underling snapped to, and nodded fervently.

"Ah, yes, Lord Bowser, forgive me…come this way."

He led the Dark Lord and the witch out of the concealed entrance and into the ruins…

"Wow!" Bowser yelped.

He looked down into the abyss that seemed to stretch forever downwards that met his eyes. It was huge, and seemed to stretch both ways for miles. Yet golden stairs winded above it, very thin, and they all seemed to intertwine at certain points. In the middle of it all, there was a raised platform, and on that platform a small, golden treasure chest rested.

"Well…I would say that treasure chest right there is important, considering where it's placed…" Kammy said softly, though her voice trailed across the expanse of the gap, echoing.

Flames burst forth from the precipice, ascending like massive pillars, roaring with an unnatural ferocity. Bowser's eyes watered.

"I LOVE this place!"

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"So…what happened between you and peach the other night, Bro?" Luigi asked, grinning mischievously. Mario smiled widely and sighed, resting his head on his hands. Luigi chuckled, patting his brother on the back.

"You knew it was bound to happen sooner or later." He smiled. Mario sighed again, seemingly lost in bliss, and Luigi chuckled yet again and left the room.

The lights in the house seemed to grow dimmer.

Luigi frowned. That was odd…but he realized that it was not the lights in the house that had darkened, but outside.

That was even stranger. He hurried out to the kitchen, to find that the door had been swung open in a hurry and Mario was gone…he raced out the doorway and gasped at the sight before him.

Lightning twisted about in the sky, thunder echoed, and the day had turned to night. It had grown even darker in the time it had taken for Luigi to run outside. This was by no means natural.

And Mario stood, in a defensive posture, hammer raised. Luigi ran over to him.

"What's going on?!"

Before he got an answer, a giant hand, a hand which seemed composed of the shadows themselves, reached out before him, and he stepped back, fighting the fear that had threatened to grasp his body.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" He yelled to Mario, but too late. His brother had already leapt towards the monstrosity head-on, hammer raised, and had began to bash the god-like hand. Luigi couldn't help but feel afraid for his brother…while he had overcome several enemies in the past…Luigi cursed. He had to believe in his brother.

What was he thinking? HE should be out there, too! But…

Luigi cursed his fear. Why was he afraid?! If Mario could bring himself to fight such a fearsome foe, he could, too!

He began making towards the hand, when the ground in front of him exploded with no prior indication of wanting to. He was thrown back, landing…hard. The wind was knocked out of him. He blinked, feeling disoriented.

"Hey."

Luigi managed to stand, to find the cloaked man he had encountered in his dream standing before him, though he had his cloak lowered so you could see his face. He had blue, spiky hair, and looked no older than 18.

"You…!" Luigi started.

"Me. Anyways 'weeg…heh, that sounds funny…" He chuckled briefly, while Luigi stared at him incredulously.

"Is this really appropriate, here, now?!" He yelled, feeling his sanity slip beneath him. The cloaked man motioned for him to calm down, smiling that smile that seemed to make a lot of stuff better.

"Relax, dude. Now listen…you remember what I said about choices and all that, right?"

Luigi nodded, though he was still finding everything hard to cope with at the moment. So, his dream hadn't been a dream…interesting.

"Well…" He scratched his head. "…That part's kinda…well, y'see, something big will come up some day relatively soon, and I was referring to that, y'know, foreshadowing, dramatic irony…blablabla…" Luigi continued to stare.

"Well, actually…by the way, my name's Zane." He paused to smile before continuing. "There's a choice you have to make here, too."

"Like what…?" Luigi asked, narrowing his eyebrows. "My brother's in danger, I should think it would be obvious what to do…"

"Naw, naw, nuh-uh, that thinking bit seems like a good idea to most people, but normally only distracts you. Your bro will be fine…I mean, he is Mario, right?" Zane grinned, while Luigi remained silent before asking…

"So…what type of choice do I have here?"

"Okay…leave Mario be and follow me, or stay here and…well, you'll see what happens."

Luigi stared at him wide-eyed.

"Okay, stop staring and decide. I told you, thinking is a distraction."

"I'll…"

At that precise, suspenseful moment, an explosion rocked the ground and flames engulfed the two. Terrible timing, really.


	8. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**

Chapter 6! Coolness. I really don't have much to say…

Disclaimer

You know the drill…

**CHAPTER SIX**

_The Dividing Factor_

"Ha ha ha, did you wet your pants, little luigi?" Zane asked in a mocking tone of voice, grinning from ear to ear. A translucent, emerald force field had protected them from the flames. Luigi tinted a slight pink-ish hue for a moment, which only resulted in Zane laughing.

"Ahhh, s'okay lil' guy, we all have accidents now and then…" He addressed Luigi as though he were speaking to a two year old. Luigi frowned, but ignored him.

"What did you do, exactly?"

Zane gave him a look, pointing up with one finger to the slightly shimmering emerald magic field above.

"Well, Sherlock, I saved our asses, is what I did. You got a problem with that?"

Luigi shook his head slowly, getting up from off the ground.

"What…happened to Mario?" Luigi asked, a sense of worry evident in his voice.

"Ah, yes."

The two looked around the area, which was not where they had been prior to Zane's force field was put into effect.

The young man's eyes widened slightly with revelation, and he chuckled somewhat nervously.

"Well…sometimes my spells have odd side-effects…" He scratched his head.

"…Zane…what did you…?" Luigi asked, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his face slightly flushed.

"Don't worry too much, compadre! I didn't blow up everything or nothing of the sort…naw, all that happened was we got transported to god-knows-where. No worries." He smiled in a ridiculously optimistic manner, given the situation. Luigi gaped at him.

A moment of silence followed.

"…What?" Zane inquired innocently.

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"Errr…Lord Bowser…are you sure this is a good idea?"

The oversized Koopa grunted in return, making his way across the winding stairs before him, slowly. The flames had risen for a full five minutes before finally sinking back into the depths.

"Kammy, listen. There's a treasure chest up there, with my name on it. I have to get it. You see Kammy, when I was a boy, I often dreamt of adventure…" The lord trailed off into some pointless story about how his pet fuzzy had died.

Kammy cleared her throat, finally intervening.

"But sire…"

"SHUT UP!" Bowser roared, silencing her.

"I'm gonna get that treasure…"

"But sir…never mind." Kammy gave up with a defeated sigh, floating away.

"Ha ha…Old Hag…teach her to tell ME what I should…"

At that moment the stair before him crumbled beneath his feet, and he found himself spiraling into the darkness below before he could utter a word.

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**Hmmm…I'm sorry, but I've hit writer's block. . **

**lol…wow. Well, uh, you'll have to make do with this for the moment. XD**

**I'll try and upload again soon. Uhhh…peace for the moment. **


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